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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — a price
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fall — the season
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cold — an illness
  10. press — newspapers
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. press — to push
  14. bore — to drill
  15. face — part of the head
  16. cold — not warm
  17. fall — to drop
  18. face — to confront
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. press — a publisher
  21. face — to point toward
  22. snap — to click
  23. bore — to tire
  24. charge — electricity

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com